I was in the mood for something reflecting the local harvest. So I threw together muffins featuring acorn squash, cranberries, apples, and buckwheat—plus cinnamon, a traditional autumn spice. These were moist and have an addictive flavor. If you want a more mild buckwheat flavor, substitute half with wheat flour or gluten-free flour mix.
Supplies
- measuring cups and spoons
- 2 mixing bowls
- mixing spoon or electric mixer
- muffin tin with 12 2½-inch cups
- cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups buckwheat flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar or xylitol, plus a bit to taste
- 2 tablespoons flax meal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon powdered ginger
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract, or 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 acorn squash (for 1¾ cup purée)
- 1¾ cup unsweetened applesauce (or substitute apples puréed in blender)
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- ½ cup whole cranberries
Directions
- Split acorn squash in half and place open-side down on baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes. Alternatively, steam squash halves until soft. Scoop out insides and use 1¾ for recipe. (You can substitute canned pumpkin if you prefer.)
- Chop the cranberries and sprinkle with sugar. Set aside.
- Mix acorn squash, applesauce, lemon extract, oil, and flax together.
- Mix together flour, sweetener, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Mix in an optional ½ teaspoon salt, then gradually stir in the wet ingredients. Batter should be somewhat lumpy.
- Stir in cranberries pieces.
- Spoon batter into muffin tin. Sprinkle with sugar or xylitol, if desired.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until tops are firm and inserted toothpick comes out clean.
